Tag Archives: Faith Hogan

CARIADS’ CHOICE BOOK REVIEWS: JUNE 2023

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Jessie Cahalin:

Summer of Secrets by Adrienne Vaughan

Take several leading ladies, a mermaid, Cinderella and a fairy godfather. Let the dreams take you to the magical coast of Ireland. Mysteries linked to the characters’ lives and the history of the place are cleverly interwoven. Like a skilled seamstress, Adrienne Vaughan has sewn the narrative together. Everything is held together by the wonderfully flamboyant Archie, a Hollywood screen legend. Before things change forever, Archie, wants to ensure, those he loves – especially Mia – are given the chance to fulfil their dreams. And to do this, secrets need to be told and their revelations resolved. I could not stop reading to discover if Archie was Mia’s father. Long after you have finished this novel, and the credits roll, you will be thinking about the magic of this story.

 

Morton S Gray:

The Guest House by the Sea by Faith Hogan

Faith Hogan does it again! I have now read all of her published titles and enjoyed each one and The Guest House by the Sea is no exception.

I loved Esme with her vulnerabilities and wise words for all of her guests. I admired Cora, was rooting for Niamh and Rob, empathised with Phyllis and Kurt and was suspicious of Tanya and Paschal. I cared about them all and even worried about how much Marta was doing. Really think Joel Lawson needs his own story please!

Faith Hogan has a way of writing that flows and carries you along as you get closer to the many characters and care about them as their stories unfold. By the time the book is finished, you wonder how you will get by without regular updates on their progress through life. Real issues and problems tackled in a gentle way. Bravo!

 

Jessie Cahalin:

Second Chances by Miriam McGuirk

The sun began to shine as soon as I met Molly. The mystery of her life intrigued me, but her kindness touched me. It is wonderful how she engages in the community, while dealing with her own problems. I also loved Florence, Boudie and Colonel Bryce Beckwith. This delightful multi-generational narrative, and you do not want to leave the people. The author places each single word with care and there is a poetic quality to the style. It was a joy to escape to India and the places in Kent. This is a novel with a great big heart.

 

Jane Cable:

The Book-Lovers’ Retreat by Heidi Swain

This is Heidi Swain’s first standalone novel, and I hope it won’t be her last. She has such an easy, accomplished, style of writing you feel as though you are being told the story by a friend, which only adds to the charm of this escapist book.

Best friends Em and Rachel have been looking forward to a very special holiday in the Lake District for years, but when Tori drops out at the last minute their plans are in jeopardy until the owner of the property gives her some options from her waiting list and after an exchange of emails they’re happy to choose Alex. Except this Alex turns out to be a man.

In the best traditions of friends’ fiction they all have secrets and they all need to revaluate their lives. Inevitably there are ups, downs, and misunderstandings – as well as the occasional curve ball I did not see coming. A really enjoyed joining them on their journeys and had just the tiniest book hangover the morning after I finished it.

 

 

 

 

CARIADS’ CHOICE: AUGUST 2022 BOOK REVIEWS

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Phil Rickman’s The Fever of the World reviewed by Georgia Hill

This is book 16 in the Merrily Watkins series featuring a beleaguered vicar and “Deliverance Consultant” – or exorcist – and set in the Welsh Marches. There’s a mysterious rockfall death, an examination of Wordsworth and his experiences as a young man in the Wye Valley, the odd Druid (a very odd Druid) and it’s all wrapped around with Covid’s cold, clammy hand. Phil has a cult-like following (I’m one) and his Merrily books are a fabulous and impossible to categorise mix of crime, the supernatural and folklore. Go read!

 

Jen Gilroy’s The Wishing Tree in Irish Falls reviewed by Jane Cable

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a long time and I enjoyed it so much I’m disappointed with myself for putting it off. It was absolutely delightful to escape to a small town community in the Adirondacks, the kind of place I suspect many of us have a secret hankering to live.

Jen Gilroy draws both the people and the place so beautifully, even the most minor of characters come alive in her skilled hands. I was pulled into Annie and Seth’s stories from the moment we meet them both. I knew they both had journeys to take and I knew how those journeys would end, but that’s the point of romantic fiction, isn’t it? No huge surprises, but a really interesting and emotional story that felt as though it was about real people. A place and a time to lose myself in with characters who become to feel like friends.

Not trying to be anything fancy, this is feelgood romance at its best.

 

Faith Hogan’s The Gin Sisters Promise reviewed by Morton S Gray

I loved Faith Hogan’s novel The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club and that was what attracted me to this title. Having finished this one, I’m off to find her other books.

A story full of love, pathos, family misunderstandings, secrets and laughter. Initially I wondered if I would cope with the three sisters’ storylines, but I soon became absorbed in their lives, loves and losses.

The book made me think about legacies and the family tangles and feuds we get into over the years.

I wanted each of the sisters to get their happy ever after and it seems their father did too. Definitely a thought-provoking novel which made me experience a wide variety of emotions from laughter to tears. Highly recommended.

 

Clare Marchant’s The Mapmakers Daughter reviewed by Kitty Wilson

Probably my favourite book of the year so far. Both timelines fully held my attention and I loved both Frieda and Robyn’s stories. Clare Marchant’s writing is so skilled that she takes you deep into the heart of Tudor London, all the senses stimulated and I really felt if I was there, hearing, seeing, smelling all that was going on around her characters. The detail she weaves though is not merely evocative, her books are so well researched that I learn things that I did not before and she always makes me want to dive into further research the minute I finish reading.

Her writing is taut and deftly woven, everything moves the story on, informs the reader and weaves together a truly spellbinding story. The jeopardy she creates had me gasp out loud, my heart pounding with fear – all whilst safely tucked up in my own bed, such is the skill with which she writes. Honestly, I thought this book was flawless and I suspect it will remain one of my favourites for years to come. Absolute perfection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CARIADS’ CHOICE: MAY BOOK REVIEWS

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Jan Baynham’s Her Mother’s Secret, reviewed by Judith Barrow

Her Mother’s Secret is set against the background of the Greek island of Péfka during different eras; 1969 and 2011. Two time frames linked by the two main characters, Alexandra and her mother, Elin; connected through time, by the diary that Alexandra finds after her mother’s death.

Elin and Alexandra are complex, well-rounded characters; very much of their time. Although never together in any scenes, the love they have for each other is threaded throughout the story. And the author has ensured that the reader becomes engrossed in these characters by intertwining their stories with a cast of believable minor characters.

The portrayals of the settings give an evocative sense of place.

There are many themes: of love, relationships, mystery, crime, secrets and friendships, woven to give a good balance of romance with a believable darker side of life.

Her Mother’s Secret is a novel I recommend to readers who enjoys a story grounded in the Romance genre but reveals itself to be so much more.

 

Angela Petch’s The Tuscan House, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

A story about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people during World War Two. The colours and culture of Italy are scarred with the horrors of war, and I was transported to war torn Italy by this clever, sensory writer.

Fosca’s resilience and resourcefulness impressed me.  She recounts the bravery of women resistance fighters (partigiani) who took unthinkable risks, but never boasts about her own wonderful courage. Petch creates wonderfully real characters who involve you in their emotional journeys and you witness them change.  Fosca shares the wisdom she had learned throughout.

Tuscan House is also crammed with action sequences and a wonderful secret. This complex world is presented effortlessly and explores love, motherhood, friendship and courage.

Another gripping novel from this writer. This novel is so much more than another story of a Tuscan house and I highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read the next book.

 

Kate Field’s Finding Home, reviewed by Morton Gray

Loved this book and the concept that a chance encounter can lead to a whole new way of life. I related to Mim and her wounded soul. The story made me long to be at the seaside again and to find out more about fossil hunting. The characters are well drawn and the hero, Corin very attractive on the page. I even worried about the dog! I’ve loved all of Kate Field’s books and this was no exception. More please …

 

Suzanne Fortin’s The Forgotten Life of Arthur Pettinger, reviewed by Carol Thomas

When I saw this book’s gorgeous front cover I knew I wanted to read it. From the very start, I was drawn into Arthur Pettinger’s life, a man in his nineties struggling with his memory as dementia is increasingly taking hold.

I adored Arthur, who has led an incredible life, including his SOE role in the war. His granddaughter, Maddy, and great-granddaughter, Esther, were lovely, supportive characters. Their warmth towards Arthur, compassion and understanding was touching.

The dual timeline that runs through the book, revealing snippets of Arthur’s life and love in WWII occupied France, had me turning the pages, as did the present-day search for Maryse (his past love).

The story is one of emotional highs and lows, love and loss. The ending is beautifully written, albeit that it had me sobbing. I loved this emotional, heartfelt read as much as I did Arthur, but I would advise having tissues at the ready.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CARIADS’ CHOICE: BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL BOOK REVIEWS

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Lizzie Lamb’s Harper’s Highland Fling, reviewed by Jessie Cahalin

Harper expected to travel to Tibet on her holiday adventure, but her niece decided to run away to Scotland with the son of the local car mechanic. Witty, feisty headmistress, Harper, meets her match and is forced to squeeze into biker’s leathers to travel with Rocco to Scotland.

‘At least she hadn’t fallen off the motorbike…or clung to him like a medieval maiden slung across a knight’s errant saddle.’

Forget Nepal, Harper must save Ariel, or does Harper really need to save herself? The novel is packed with expectation, and stereotypes of a headmistress and car mechanic are challenged as we get to know and love the characters – perfect.

Rocco is not about to save the feisty maiden but ‘without meaning to she’d got under his skin and he couldn’t resist winding her up.’ On the other hand, Harper thinks Rocco is ‘an enigma wrapped in a conundrum.’

 

Maggie Mason’s The Halfpenny Girls, reviewed by Susanna Bavin

What I loved about this book, and what made it, for me, a stand-out saga, was the concentration on family life. Sagas often revolve around the work-place, but this pre-war story is firmly rooted in the hardships faced by three close friends because of their family circumstances. Violence, alcoholism, betrayal and dementia are all woven into the tale – alongside love, loyalty and the determination of the three young heroines to do their very best for their nearest and dearest, despite every hardship. There are no easy answers to the problems each family faces – just a wealth of warmth and understanding from an accomplished author. This is a complex story with strong, cleverly interwoven plots; well-drawn, multi-layered characters; and, above all, a powerful sense of the importance of family.

 

Faith Hogan’s The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club, reviewed by Morton Gray

Loved this book on so many different levels – the characters and the challenges they face. I didn’t think I would like the book being written from so many different points of view, but it was seamless and added to the story. He doesn’t even feature in the novel, but I wanted to bop Elizabeth’s late husband on the nose, especially towards the end of the book. I was praying for Lucy’s son, Niall to make the right choices, shed tears over Jo and Dan. I want to go and stay in Dan’s rented house on the hill and take part in the Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club. Great book and I’m off to find the author’s other stories.

 

Helga Jensen’s Twice in a Lifetime, reviewed by Natalie Normann

This book is pure enjoyment from start to finish.

Amelia is the mother of twin boys, recently divorced and mostly a sensible woman. She struggles  with how her life has turned out. When Amelia finds the phone number of a gorgeous man she met in New York years earlier, her best friend Sian starts looking for him. And despite all of Amelia’s attempts to hold back, she soon finds herself in a huge mess. It’s hilarious!

This book got me through tax season, by providing a wonderful distraction and lots of laughs. Amelia is such a lovely person who tries so hard, you can’t help falling in love with her. There are twists that I didn’t see coming, and I loved the surprises. All I wanted was for it not to end! Helga Jensen knows how to tell a good story that stands out in the crowd. It’s right there on my top romcoms list now. That’s a five stars from me!